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Youngkin lauds federal budget bill, plays down Medicaid cuts
Gov. Glenn Youngkin fully embraces the massive federal tax-and-spending bill that President Donald Trump signed into law last week, including cuts to Medicaid that Democrats and state hospitals say would cause hundreds of thousands of Virginians to lose health care coverage and potentially threaten the survival of small rural hospitals. Youngkin, speaking after an unrelated news event on Tuesday, said the spending package would deliver tax relief of about $2,800 per family. Most of that relief would come from extending the provisions of the tax cuts that the president signed into law in 2017. The law also eliminates taxes on tips and overtime and creates a $6,000 tax credit for seniors.
As partisan disputes boil, it’s still unclear how new federal law will impact Medicaid in Virginia
The “big beautiful bill” was passed by both chambers of Congress and last week. President Donald Trump signed it into law, triggering a countdown until sweeping changes to Medicaid take effect, including potential coverage loss for millions nationwide, financial strain to hospitals and new work requirements for Medicaid recipients. While the changes won’t kick in for more than a year, Virginia lawmakers are already preparing for the transformation of the state’s health care landscape. It’s still unclear exactly how many Virginians could lose Medicaid coverage because final analyses from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) haven’t dropped yet. The uncertainty has left many wondering if they or loved ones will be impacted — and set the stage for partisan bickering.
Inside the Univ. of Virginia gun incident that drew DOJ's ire
University of Virginia President James Ryan resigned last month amid a Justice Department investigation into allegations the school failed to wipe out its diversity programs. But a letter the agency sent U.Va., released last week as part of a public records request, reveals another reason the Justice Department targeted the university. In it, the department zeroed in on allegations that a fourth-year Jewish student had endured antisemitic bullying and that U.Va. had mishandled the case.
These Younger Democrats Are Sick of Their Party’s Status Quo
A number of prominent younger Democrats with records of winning tough races are forming a new group with big ambitions to remake their party’s image, recruit a new wave of candidates and challenge political orthodoxies they say are holding the party back. Members of the initiative, Majority Democrats, have different theories about how the national party has blundered. . . . According to Ms. Smith, members include: former Representative Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for governor of Virginia; Representative Mikie Sherrill, the party’s candidate for governor of New Jersey; Senators Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan; members of Congress from highly competitive districts including Representatives Jared Golden of Maine, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico and Kristen McDonald Rivet of Michigan; and the mayors of Cincinnati, Denver, Scranton, Pa., Newport News, Va., and Kansas City, Mo.
Threatened by rising waters, Norfolk museum fights back
When Erik Neil moved to Norfolk to become president of the Chrysler Museum of Art, he’d experienced the threat posed by the climate crisis to museum collections. Six months prior to Hurricane Katrina, he led an effort to find safe storage for the Newcomb Art Gallery collection at Tulane University in New Orleans. Just in time. The Chrysler Museum sits at the culmination of The Hague, an inlet of the Elizabeth River, a postcard-perfect location for decades. But that beauty belies an increasingly sinister reality. In recent years, rising tides and intensifying rainstorms repeatedly submerged streets, threatening the museum and its decade-old addition, the Perry Glass Studio. . . . Fast forward two decades from his days in Louisiana and Neil has overseen an evolving master plan to protect the museum and its collection in a city that is second behind New Orleans as most threatened by the effects of a warming world.
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EXECUTIVE BRANCH
As part of FEMA Review Council, Youngkin to assess state, federal disaster coordination
In the wake of deadly flooding in central Texas and New Mexico that claimed over 100 lives with nearly 200 still missing, scrutiny of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which provides disaster recovery services and funding, has mounted. Before the floods, the federal government had announced plans to eliminate or remake the agency and is now reviewing its procedures, funding, and execution of agency missions, a process in which Virginia’s governor is taking an active role.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Northern Va. state senator seeks answers from Walmart concerning sexual health products
As Virginia customers of Walmart shop on the company’s website, shoppers are receiving a message telling them they need to provide consent for data collection to search for items including pregnancy tests, birth control items and even a baby registry. State Sen. Barbara Favola, a Democrat representing Arlington, said the new message is coming in response to a law designed to protect people’s privacy when it comes to sexual health and reproductive information. Favola wrote the law aimed at providing enhanced privacy concerning this sensitive matter. She said she is surprised by the pop-up . . .
Joint cannabis commission holds first meeting amid push for regulated market
The newly formed joint commission tasked with overseeing Virginia’s transition to a legal retail cannabis market held its inaugural meeting in Richmond Wednesday, launching what lawmakers described as the next chapter in the commonwealth’s winding path toward a regulated marijuana industry. Del. Paul Krizek, D-Fairfax, who sponsored the House resolution creating the commission earlier this year, was elected chair during the meeting at the state Capitol. While no other formal action was taken, the panel laid out its mission and signaled it would use previously vetoed legislation as a foundation to craft a new proposal for 2026 — when Virginia will have a new governor.
STATE ELECTIONS
Virginia’s AG race heats up with GOP's ‘Soft Jay Jones’ campaign
Virginia Republicans might not be unified at the top of their statewide ticket, but they are unified in their attacks against the Democratic nominee for attorney general, painting him as a far-left criminal sympathizer. The Republican Party of Virginia launched a new attack campaign against the Democratic nominee for attorney general Jay Jones this week, dubbed “Soft Jay Jones.” The campaign, paid for by the Virginia GOP and authorized by Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares, who is running for reelection, cites some of Jones’ voting record as a delegate in Virginia’s General Assembly and paints Jones as soft on crime.
HD33 GOP nominee to be chosen by district committee by end of July
The Republican nominee for House District 33 will likely be selected by the end of July by a four-member committee representing each county in the district. With the majority of the weighted vote, Shenandoah County, represented by Sheriff Timothy Carter, holds the deciding share. ... The party plan directs Legislative District Committees to select a nominee when a certified candidate withdraws after the primary deadline, as occurred when Delegate Todd Gilbert stepped down as the candidate earlier this month following his appointment by President Donald Trump to U.S. Attorney.
Turnout rate was up slightly in Virginia's June primaries, data show
What was the voter turnout for Virginia's local primary elections? The Virginia Public Access Project reports that turnout ranged widely for the June 17 primary election, with some localities having a turnout rate of more than 20%. VPAP referenced data from the Virginia Department of Elections, using the total number of votes cast for candidates running for the listed office.
STATE GOVERNMENT
As AI booms and the grid strains, Virginia grapples with competing energy visions
A new report from the Department of Energy warns that, without increased energy production, the nation’s power grid could face a sharp rise in blackouts by 2030. In Virginia, Republicans are sounding the alarm, arguing that Democratic-led efforts to expand renewable energy and combat climate change are hindering the state’s ability to meet growing demands.
Historical markers approved for Lucy Addison in Roanoke, small newspaper in Highland County
The Virginia Department of Historic Resources has approved nine new historical markers across Virginia, including one for the famed Roanoke educator Lucy Addison, as well as the weekly newspaper in the smallest county in the state. Other notable markers include one in King William County to call attention to the Virginia “racial integrity” act of 1924 that was used to erase the existence of Native American tribes in the state, something that has since been called a “paper genocide.” The department notes that markers aren’t meant to “honor” a particular person or event but rather to recognize history that has happened.
CONGRESS
Rep. Beyer highlights research grants canceled by Trump administration at Capitol Hill event
Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) joined scientists from across the nation on Capitol Hill today to showcase research that has been halted due to grant cancellations by the Trump administration. Congressman Beyer, who represents the 8th Congressional District of Virginia (which includes Alexandria), spoke at “The Things We’ll Never Know: A Science Fair of Canceled Grants,” a three-hour event hosted by House Democrats on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building Foyer. More than twenty researchers whose federal grants have been terminated presented their work to lawmakers and discussed the impact of the funding cuts.
ECONOMY/BUSINESS
Underwater cable plant project in Chesapeake receives $28 million in state, local grants
A major facility that will produce underwater cables for the offshore wind energy industry is receiving about $28 million in state and local grants, with more than half of that coming from Chesapeake’s coffers. The grants are being awarded to a 750,000-square-foot manufacturing facility being constructed in the city by LS Greenlink USA, a subsidiary of South Korean-based LS Cable & System. Once constructed and operable by 2028, the plant will produce undersea cables used in the offshore wind industry.
TRANSPORTATION
Army lacks accountability in D.C. air disaster, families say
The Army has avoided accountability and shirked oversight months after the deadly midair collision between a passenger jet and a military helicopter in Washington, dozens of family members said in a letter to the Army’s top official, calling for action and greater transparency. . . . The Army stands alone in its lack of transparency and candor, 168 family members and loved ones said in a letter addressed to Army Secretary Dan Driscoll on Wednesday and obtained by The Washington Post. Army officials have not had meaningful dialogue with families since a short briefing from Army aviation officials in the days after the collision, with the families noting the rare disclosures related to the incident seemed deliberately timed near holidays to minimize public attention.
VIRGINIA OTHER
Richmond hospital settles with last two families in infant abuse case
Henrico Doctors’ has agreed to pay two more babies who were injured in the hospital’s neonatal intensive-care unit, bringing the total number of settlements to 11. On Wednesday, Judge David Carson approved the agreements in Salem Circuit Court. The financial value of all 11 have been kept private. The Richmond Times-Dispatch is not identifying the victims or their families. Under the agreement, the money will be placed in trusts for the children to access when they are older.
Planned Parenthood centers in Virginia brace for potential Medicaid funding loss
Planned Parenthood centers in Virginia and across the nation are preparing for potential impacts from the Trump administration's "One Big, Beautiful Bill," which aims to prohibit Medicaid payments for services at facilities like Planned Parenthood for one year. A federal judge has temporarily blocked this provision for 14 days. Jamie Lockhart, Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, said the legislation could affect around 5,700 Medicaid patients in Virginia. She explained that these patients would lose access not only to abortion services but also to STI tests, cancer screenings, and contraception.
LOCAL
State budget change will deliver bigger gaming tax payday for Dumfries
The Town of Dumfries is expecting a bigger payoff next year as a result of a change in the way Virginia allocates gaming tax revenues to communities that host facilities such as The Rose and Rosies, which feature off-track betting and slots-like betting machines. . . . The amendment, which goes into effect in July 2026, will boost Dumfries budget by at least $1 million a year. Torian says he led the tax change to help Dumfries and other localities with Rosie’s gaming facilities grow their economies.
Richmond’s top election official sits down for one-on-one interview
Richmond’s Office of Elections is entering a new chapter with the appointment of David Levine as the city’s new general registrar. After a tumultuous period marked by scandal and leadership change, Levine said he’s committed to restoring public trust and ensuring transparency. Levine is no stranger to Richmond. He served as deputy registrar from 2012 to 2014 under former general registrar Kurt Showalter. Levine also brings years of election experience from Idaho, Maryland and Washington D.C. to the role. Now returning as the city’s top election official, he’s focused on reform and accountability.
City officials will not release spending records for employee under investigation
City officials will not release additional records related to spending by Reginald Thomas — a former senior management analyst with the Richmond Fire Department who is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the city’s watchdog office. The Times-Dispatch previously reported that, according to credit card logs and invoices obtained through the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, Thomas had spent more than $2 million of public funds at three companies registered to himself and associates.
City planner, wife ran permitless Airbnb in violation of city code
A city official and his wife for over a year operated an unpermitted Airbnb in violation of city code governing short-term rentals, according to records reviewed by The Times-Dispatch. The property in question is located on West Marshall Street in Jackson Ward. City assessment records show the rowhouse is owned by 17 W Marshall, LLC. State Corporation Commission records show that company is registered to Alexandra Mercer, wife of city planner Brian Mercer.
Trump’s megabill: Newport News leaders applaud more shipbuilding, brace for social services cuts
Recent presidential executive orders have put significant emphasis on Newport News’ shipbuilding industry. But according to city leaders, who discussed the anticipated effects of federal policy changes during a City Council retreat this week, it’s the only positive of the new federal mandates. President Donald Trump has issued 164 executive orders since taking office in January — the most of any president in his first 100 days. One issued April 9 aims to increase shipbuilding and workforce development with investments into additional military ships and improved port infrastructure.
Henry County to demolish dozens of blighted properties
An abandoned property sticks out among the row of modest houses in the Greyson Street neighborhood in Henry County’s Collinsville district. For years, the home has been vacant, with overgrowth almost completely covering its street-facing exterior, to the dismay of some neighbors. “It’s about time,” said Aesha Mitchell upon learning about plans to demolish the house and similar structures throughout the county. . . . At their June 5 meeting, county supervisors voted unanimously to demolish 39 properties deemed unsafe.
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EDITORIALS
Chesapeake Bay is stagnating. Here’s what could help.
First, a filthy Chesapeake Bay represented all that wasn’t working with America’s stewardship of its natural environment. Then, the bay became a success story. The sloughs of poorly treated sewage at the bottom of slime-green lagoons disappeared, and oyster populations, once nearly wiped out, made a near-miraculous comeback. The turnaround seemed to show that even big environmental problems could be managed. In recent years, however, progress has stalled.
COLUMNISTS
Yancey: Where does Earle-Sears stand? Nobody really knows because she won’t make herself available for serious questioning.
The pro-business group Virginia FREE sent out a seemingly routine announcement earlier this week: Its board of directors had met with Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic candidate for governor, to discuss business-related issues. What wasn’t said, and what made this announcement newsworthy: Virginia FREE has been trying for three months to secure a similar meeting with Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican candidate for governor, and still doesn’t have a commitment, according to the group’s executive director, Chris Saxman.
OP-ED
Kaine and Warner: Virginia must resist Trump's attacks on higher ed – before it's too late
Last month, the Trump Department of Justice crossed a dangerous line when it interfered in the governance of the University of Virginia to oust president Jim Ryan, not for misconduct or mismanagement, but for reasons of personal and political grievance. Under Ryan’s leadership, UVa expanded access to first-generation and low-income students, navigated complex challenges around free speech and campus safety, and strengthened UVa’s standing as one of the world’s premier public research institutions. But instead of being recognized for those accomplishments, he was targeted — the latest casualty in a calculated campaign by the Trump administration to politicize higher education and undermine local governance of public education.
Cantor: Virginia prison cites unwritten policy when declining press comment
Tomeka Wallace didn’t know her son was being transferred from Virginia’s Red Onion State Prison until she got a call in February from a Maine prison official. Demetrius, her son, was among a group of men at Red Onion who previously harmed themselves and participated in a hunger strike to protest conditions at the super-maximum security facility in the southwest portion of the state. “I just happened to get a call that I almost didn’t answer,” Wallace recalled. “The lady said, ‘Do you know Demetrius Wallace? … Well, your son is in Maine.’ I said, ‘In Maine? You mean the state?’” Wallace is hundreds of miles from where her son’s now being held and said the entire carceral system needs to be changed.